Tuesday, February 20, 2018

He Who Panics First, Panics Best

What we are facing in the Great Bump Stock is a war of
attrition. In a war of attrition, each side is doing their best to wear down
the other side because he who gives in last, wins. After repeated tragedies,
Republicans, gun owners, and conservative thinkers are giving in. Unable to
defend their beliefs to even themselves, they have become susceptible to the
slow, grinding tactics of the “Do Something!” crowd calling for meaningless gun
control.

Without having fully tried the pro-gun solutions (armed teachers,
staff, and parents in schools) or properly treating the epidemic of mental
illness, too many gun owners are starting to wonder if the hoplopaths (gun
haters) are right. The tone has changed. Without any counter-balance explaining
the pro-gun position, these supposedly “reasonable” folks succumb unconsciously
to a form of peer pressure.

Yes, Trump’s bump fire memo is something to worry about. His
vague statements have become fact. He has been worn down into “doing something.”
He has given the ATF the cover it needs to ban bump fire. Leading by example,
the President has shown the public that compromise is okay and by answering the
question in the public’s mind as to whether or not the people of the gun should
begin giving rights away.

Make no doubt about it, we are headed for a gun control
disaster in the near future. Public opinion is shifting away from the staunch “come
and take it” attitude under Obama. Today, it is bump fire stocks. Tomorrow, it
will be something else. What is happening is that media and social pressure,
combined with the NRA’s stance and Republican rhetoric, is signaling to the
public that it is time to become more “reasonable” about guns.

Steadfast belief in a conflicting opinion creates
psychological tension that only inner conviction can overcome. Without
close-held beliefs or detailed knowledge about the contrarian position, the
mental conflict between self and society is best resolved by changing one’s
opinions. This quiets the inner voice that is asking “Why do you believe X when
everyone else believes Y?”

Two other major issues of our time went from “unthinkable”
to permissible. If everyone else says gay marriage or marijuana isn’t a big
deal, then why should anyone else think differently? Uncritical thinkers and
uncurious minds don’t seek out reasons to defend their beliefs because those
beliefs are ultimately based on public opinion. They are going along with the
flow. But as the public opinion shifts, an ideologically ungrounded person will
be pulled and finally shift with the tide.

What we are witnessing is the slow wearing down of gun-receptive
public into accepting gun control. Media and hoplopathic (antigun) forces are
actively encouraging this via propaganda. Sadly, those who are less susceptible
to television brainwashing are being victimized by their reflexive need to
mentally “fit in.” Neutral parties can only hold out so long without being
pulled one way or the other and the AR-haters are louder.

Unfortunately, Republicans are being worn down as well. A
president who truly grasped the slippery slope of appearing “reasonable” on gun
control would never have asked the DOJ to essentially propose a bump fire ban. Under
congressional and media pressure, the President’s memo, with the NRA’s blessing,
amounts to a green light to ban bump fire stocks with political cover.

Many stalwart Trump defenders are saying that this is just a
stratagem to appear like he is taking action. It is just that, but with the
added danger that he doesn’t care if bump fire stocks are actually banned. If
bump fire stocks aren’t banned, we can call it “masterful, 3D political chess.”
If they are banned, apologists will excuse it as being necessary to save the
rest. Excuses will be made because bump fire isn’t something that most gun
owners care about.

Uncritical thinkers, gun owners included, don’t want to
admit that their great orange hope isn’t their savior, but just another
politician willing to do what is politically expedient. Donald Trump is not a
man of deeply-held convictions; rather, he is a negotiator willing to
compromise because closing a deal defines success, even if it is ultimately a
losing deal. Temporarily mollifying the “do something” crowd with a sacrificial
win gives Trump the illusion of success.

The sacrificial lambs could be offered up to the gaping maw
of the starving gun control demon. That demon is always hungry and is always
calling for more. As these horrible acts of violence continue, the calls will
grow more intense. Compromises and acquiescence to anti-gun bills will
snowball, making it easier and easier each time for unprincipled politicians to
do what is popular, not what is right.

Fudds who will give up bump fire stocks to make the
controversy go away are too ignorant and cowardly to stand on principal. They
are perpetuating an “eat me last” philosophy that feeding the monster will make
it less hungry; no—throwing meat to the monster only gives it a taste for
blood. If the public abandons the gun, then the politicians don’t need to
support it. And as compromise becomes the norm, it becomes easier and easier
each time to mentally justify giving in to compromise so one does not feel
uncomfortable as a contrarian outlier.

Gun owners are getting scared and giving in. In the face of
persecution, they are abandoning the faith. Like the boastful St. Peter who
said he would never denounce Christ, by dawn, these folks with “molon labe”
stickers on their pickup truck will betray the Second Amendment three times. If
a mere fun accessory is being thrown under the bus, what will gun owners do
when persecution begins? Will they stand firm when the ATF is kicking down
doors, or will they meekly hand over their guns and criticize those who resist
by force as making hunters look bad?

Think I'm nuts about the tone changing? The calls for "common sense gun safety" is being replaced by "repeal the Second Amendment." The rabid hoplopaths are the ones calling to do away with the right to keep and bear arms, but just as every major gun-hater jumped on the Everytown "gun safety" bandwagon, repealing the Second Amendment will be more commonplace until it seems reasonable.

The high tide of gun rights is beginning to go out. The
wheat is being separated from the chaff. Over time, as tragedies continue and
we focus on guns rather than a sick society and broken people, more and more
restrictions will we face. Stock up now. He who panics first panics best.